Carrier packs

ABSTRACT

A carrier of thin sheet material for carrying two rows of symmetrically disposed containers such as bottles and having slits and fold lines transverse to the rows of bottles to form a centrally disposed carrying handle.

United States Patent 1 Detzel et al.

CARRIER PACKS inventors:

Assignee:

Filed:

Appl. No.:

Josef Detzel, Weitnau/Allgau; Walter Schr'rigle, Kempten, both ofGermany Lever Brothers Company, New York, N.Y.

Apr. 27, 1971 Foreign Application Priority Data May 2, 1970 Germany G 70us 625.5

US. Cl. 206/65 E, 229/40, 229/52 B Int. Cl B6511 5/46, 365d 71/00 Fieldof Search 206/65 C, 65 D, 65 E;

220/102-118; 229/28 BC, 29 F, 40, 52 B, 52

[111 3,750,874 [451 Aug; 7, 1973 [56] References Cited UNITED STATESPATENTS 3,593,849 7/1971 Helms.....l 220/112 X 3,337,045 8/1967 Morgese220/112 X 2,950,854 8/1960 Ganz 229/40 3,096,906 7/1963 Chidsey, Jr. etal.... 229/40 X 3,189,215 6/1965 Currie, Jr. 206/65 F. X

Primary Examiner-Ge0rge E. Lowrance Assistant Examiner-Steven E. LipmanAtt0rney-Louis F. Kline, Jr., Melvin H. Kurtz and Edgar E. Ruff [57]ABSTRACT A carrier of thin sheet material for carrying two rows ofsymmetrically disposed containers such as bottles and having slits andfold lines transverse to the rows of bottles to form a centrallydisposed carrying handle.

2 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PATENIEWB 1W 3,750,874

SHEUI UF 2 rillf INVENTORS JOSEF DETZEL WALTER SCHRAGLE ATTORNEY CARRIERPACKS The invention relates to a carrier pack with handle for two rowsof containers, in particular for bottles. It consists of a blank whichis folded round the containers. in this blank, fold lines divide a topsection, side walls and bottom sections and devices for locking theparts together are provided on the bottom sections. At the edge and ifrequired also at the bottom edge of the side walls, the blank hasperforations through which the edges of the containers at least partlyproject. ln this way the containers are held firmly in position in thepack. The ends of the pack are left open.

Packs of the kind described above need some means by which they can beheld safely in one hand. Fingerholes have therefore sometimes been madein the top of the pack so that it can be carried, for instance, with twofingers. There are also packs in which a handle is provided crosswise tothe length of the pack, this handle being formed by slits passing overthe top of the pack and into the side walls. A disadvantage of thishandle, made of a flat strip of cardboard, is that the edges cut intothe fingers when the pack is being carried, but if the strip is flexibleenough to conform to the contours of the bent fingers there is a riskthat it will tear. Furthermore, the tops of the containers can make itdifficult to hold the handle and there is a tendency for the slits inthe side walls to rip further. In the case of another wall known form ofpack, the ends of the wrapper are brought up between the rows ofcontainers and partially through the top of the pack, the ends above thetop of the pack being provided with finger-holes. A pack of thisconstruction needs considerably more material and the handles projectingupwards prevent stacking.

The object of the pack, according to the'innovation is to avoid thesedisadvantages. Accordingly the invention provides a carrier for carryingtwo rows of containers consisting of a blank of thin sheet materialfolded round the containers, which blank comprises a top section, sidewall sections and bottom sections divided from one another by fold linesand has openings in the top section through which the containers in twosymmetrical rows partially project for location, and the blank furthercomprises at least two slits disposed on each side of a central pair ofthe containers and extending across the top section of the blank andpartly down each side section, and fold lines parallel to said slits todefine panels which can be pressed inwards through 90 to form a handleof substantially U-shaped crosssection from sheet material of the blank.

The shanks of this U-shaped handle are conveniently reinforced by hingedreinforcing panels folded through 180 on to the shanks. This not onlystrengthens the handle but also rounds the bottom edges of the shanks.

The grip openings on either side of the handle can be widened by meansof panels which can also be pressed inwards and which are on the side ofeach slit in the pack top further from the handle.

The handle of the carrier pack according to the innovation isparticularly stable by reason of its U-shaped section. It is alsocomfortable to carry because the shanks of the profile can be pressedtogether easily.

The invention is described in detail again below with the aid of theembodiment shown in diagram form in the drawings.

Of these drawings:

FIG. 1 shows a flat blank.

FIG. 2 is a pack viewed from above.

FIG. 3 is a lengthwise cross-section through the pack.

The blank comprises, in the known way, the pack top 1, two sloping upperside sections 2 which fit the outline of the contents when the pack ismade up, two vertical side walls 3, the sloping lower edges 4 and thetwo locking flaps 5a and 5b at the bottom. Openings 6 are provided inthe upper edges of the two upper side sections 2 through which the upperedges of the containers, e.g. the crown corks which close the bottles,project. There are corresponding openings 7 in the lower edges 4. Thepack shown here is intended for six beer bottles standing side by sidein two rows of three bottles each. Between the two middle bottles 10 ofeach row the handle according to the invention is formed from part ofthe blank.

On each side of the openings 6 for the middle pair of bottles there is aslit 11 across the top 1 of the pack extending into the sloping uppersections 2. A fold line 12 runs across the top 1 of the pack parallel tothe slits 11, and more or less connecting the side edges of the openings6. Thus a panel 13 is formed between the slits l1 and the fold line 12and this can be folded inwards to become the shank of the U-shapedhandle. It is also convenient to provide the reinforcement panel 15between the panel 13 and the slit 1]. This is folded along the fold line14 on to the panel 13. The fold line 14 thus forms a rounded lower edgeto the shank of the U- shaped handle. The middle section of the handle,which remains on a level with the top l, is marked 16.

Pressing the panels 13 and 15 inwards forms grip openings 9 on each sideof the panel 16 which enable the fingers to be inserted easily and thepack held firmly.

In order to widen these grip openings, other panels 17 which can bepressed inwards can also be provided on the side of each slit 1 1further from the handle. They are pressed inwards along the fold line 18through an angle of about The panels 13, 15 and 17 usefully extend intothe sloping side sections 2. The panel parts formed from the sidesections are marked 13a, 15a and 17a. The panel part 13a is joined tothe side wall section 2 by the fold line 19. Similarly, the panel part17a is joined to the side wall 2 by the fold line 20. But there is nojoin between the panel part 15a and the side wall 2. The end parts 11aof the slit 11 are therefore turned through an angle towards the ends ofthe fold line 14. Between the ends of the fold lines 19 and 20 there isan incision 11b which widens the grip opening 9 at the sides and permitsthe panel part 17a to be folded inwards without difficulty. The panelparts corresponding to the panels l3, l5 and 17 are demarcated by thefold line 21 which is an extension of the fold line 8 by which the top 1is divided from the sloping side sections 2.

The handle arrangement accordinb to the invention can be varied in manyways. For instance, the reinforcement panels 15 can be so formed thatwhen they are folded in they snap under the upper projecting edges ofthe middle pair of bottles 10. In this way part of the load hanging fromthe handlle will be borned directly by this. Or the panel 16 of thehandle can be located between two pairs of bottles in which case theslits 11 will roughly connect the openings 6 for two pairs of bottles.Again, the handle can also be used with other types of pack in whichthere is enough room under the top to insert the fingers.

We claim:

1. In a carrier for carrying two rows of containers comprising a topsection, a bottom section and two opposed side wall sections, the sidewall sections each having a vertical side wall and an inwardly slopingupper side wall, a handle extending transversely across the top sectionof substantially U shaped cross-section comprising a first pair of foldlines extending transversely across the top section to definethere-between a top panel of the handle, shank panels joined by saidfirst fold lines to opposite edges of the top panel and outwardlydiverging fold lines extending from each of the ends of the first pairof fold lines into the sloping upper side walls, said outwardlydiverging fold lines connecting the shank panels to the upper sidewalls, and reinforcing shank panels foldably connected to each of theshank panels and lying contiguous therewith within the handle toreinforce the shank panels.

2. In a carrier according to claim 1 wherein access panels are foldedfrom the top section and upper side walls adjacent the handle, foldlines extending across the top section parallel to said first pair offold lines joining the access panels to the top section and inwardlydiverging fold lines into the sloping upper side walls, said inwardlydiverging fold lines joining the access panels to the sloping upper sidewalls.

1. In a carrier for carrying two rows of containers comprising a topsection, a bottom section and two opposed side wall sections, the sidewall sections each having a vertical side wall and an inwardly slopingupper side wall, a handle extending transversely across the top sectionof substantially ''U'' shaped cross-section comprising a first pair offold lines extending transversely across the top section to definetherebetween a top panel of the handle, shank panels joined by saidfirst fold lines to opposite edges of the top panel and outwardlydiverging fold lines extending from each of the ends of the first pairof fold lines into the sloping upper side walls, said outwardlydiverging fold lines connecting the shank panels to the upper sidewalls, and reinforcing shank panels foldably connected to each of theshank panels and lying contiguous therewith within the handle toreinforce the shank panels.
 2. In a carrier according to claim 1 whereinaccess panels are folded from the top section and upper side wallsadjacent the handle, fold lines extending across the top sectionparallel to said first pair of fold lines joining the access panels tothe top section and inwardly diverging fold lines into the sloping upperside walls, said inwardly diverging fold lines joining the access panelsto the sloping upper side walls.